Deborah Smith Clements

Deborah Smith Clements, MD, is Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Nancy and Warren Furey Professor of Community Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is also a Professor of Medical Education. Her leadership has expanded family medicine residency programs across the Northwestern Medicine health system, emphasizing health equity and community-based training.

• Affiliated with the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM), Osher Center for Integrative Health, NUCATS, Robert J. Havey Institute for Global Health, and Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics.

Clements pioneered a program during the COVID-19 pandemic to integrate social determinants of health into clinical care via electronic health records, addressing disparities in food insecurity, housing, and safety. Her work focuses on eliminating health inequities through medical education and advocacy.

She has held significant national roles, including membership on the National Resident Matching Program’s (NRMP) board of directors and leadership positions at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Her career spans academic roles at the University of Kansas Medical Center and Northwestern University, with a focus on primary care innovation.

Scientific Awards

• American Academy of Family Physicians’ Thomas W. Johnson Award (2023) for contributions to family medicine education.
• Illinois Academy of Family Physicians’ Distinguished Service Award (2021) for lifetime achievements.

Clements’ leadership in graduate medical education has increased family medicine residency capacity from zero in 2009 to 72 residents in 2022, aligning with efforts to build a cost-efficient, equitable healthcare system anchored in primary care.